News For
SWIM
PARENTS
Published by The American Swimming Coaches
Association
5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200
Fort Lauderdale FL 33309
___________________________________________________________________
Swim
Meet Basics For Parents.
Ideas to
help you and your child be better prepared and
�happier� at Swim Meets
By John
Leonard, ASCA Director
1. Be
on time. On time means 15 minutes before warmup
begins.
2.
Know
the seating arrangements. Bring folding chairs to
most outdoor pools. Bring drinks and snacks as
appropriate. Sit with your child if that�s the team
�thing.� Sit in the stands if that�s the way the
team does it. Let the swimmers be with the
swimmers. They don�t want to be with you in most
cases. They want to be with their friends.
3.
Encourage
your child to get immediately to the coach for
warmup. (See following article about warmup.)
4.
Be
a parent. Help them keep track of heats, events,
etc. But remember that the main idea is to teach
them to handle the environment of a swim meet
themselves. This helps them �grow up.� It�s never
too early....
5.
Cheer for other people�s children on the team. Don�t
embarrass your own by standing behind their blocks
screaming. Let other parents scream for your child.
6. Let
the coach coach. Unless you�re the coach. Then let
someone else coach your child. So you can parent.
7.
Sometimes a child will �miss an event�. This
happens, it�s a learning experience. Don�t freak
out. Don�t handhold them to the next event. Expect
responsibility. If they can�t handle it, maybe they
are too young to be there. Let them rely on
teammates for help.
8.
Sometimes a swimmer will false start and DQ a relay.
Similarly, it�s a learning experience. Don�t freak
out. The appropriate response by the swimmer to
their teammates? �Sorry guys.� Everyone does it.
Everyone needs to forgive. See, �Everyone Does It.�
Reread that. Twice.
9.
Sometimes a swimmer DQ�s for swimming an event
incorrectly. Do not address the official. Ask the
coach what they did wrong. Make sure the swimmer
understands how to do it correctly. End of story.
It IS NOT a big deal. Learn from it.
10.
The child should have a
goal for every swim. Sometimes a time, sometimes a
technique. Ask what their goal is. Don�t help set
it. That�s for the coach and swimmer.
11. The
coach will likely speak to your child before and
after the event. The �before� is to remind them of
their goals and needs, and the �after� is to review
the successes and weak spots of the swim. Great
feedback is great coaching.
12.
Make sure they drink in hot weather. Drink in all
weather. Water, Gatorade, etc. NO SUGAR. NO
CANDY. NO SUGAR, NO CANDY.
13. If
you have questions, ask the Coach. Try to do it
when the Coach is not doing 12 other things. Get
real answers. Asking another parent may not get you
the right answer.
14.
When the meet is over, the meet is over. Forget it
on the way home. Help the swimmer remember the
lessons for the next time, but don�t dwell on the
meet. Meet over....move on...next!
15.
Most coaches will say �it�s not about winning, it�s
about improvement.� Know what is being improved,
and measure it and help your child focus on the
process and not �just� the result. What does it
take to go faster?
16.
Keep it light. Have a
sense of humor. An age group swim meet, taken at
face value, is a pretty silly thing.....don�t
overplay the �importance� of it ...it�s just an
opportunity to test what you�ve been learning in
practice.
We repeat experiences that are enjoyable and avoid
experiences that are not.
There
are thousands of other ideas to add to this list.
This is �just the basics�. Add to your own list.
And now,
to the concept of
WARMUP.
What is
Warmup?
Warmup
is what happens before a competition. Its purpose is
several:
PHYSICAL:
1.
Literally warm and lubricate the muscles for
�action�.
2.
Increase the heart rate in preparation for race
action.
3.
Getting in touch with your feel for the water and
ability to swim the strokes correctly.
And
MENTAL:
1. Get
into focus. We�re at a swim meet to compete.
2. Get
rid of distractions.
3.
Focus on process and good technical swimming.
4.
Prepare to Race.
Most
warmups at most meets are crowded and appear
chaotic.
Typically the coach will put all swimmers in one or
two lanes, together.
The
swimmers will do an easy swim. (�easy 500 free�)
Then
some gentle kicking. (�10 x 25 free kick on 30
seconds�)
Then
some drills....(�200 IM Drill�)
Then a
�start your heart� set...(�8 x 50 free, descend 1-4,
5-8�)
Then
some pace work relating to the specific event....
And a
little more easy swimming.
Warmups
can vary from Senior Swimmers who take an hour or
more, to eight and unders, who can warmup in 20
minutes in some cases. In every case, it�s
important to be ON TIME. Typically an hour before
the meet. This allows time for the physical and the
mental work to be done. The coach will commonly
hold a short meeting to make sure all swimmers are
accounted for, organized, know their events, and get
last minute reminders.
Being
LATE to warmup means
your
child will be inadequately prepared for their
competition. Not a good thing. You ask them and
the coach asks them, to work hard to learn in
practice every day. Then the day of
the
meet, you do things incorrectly. What does that
teach the child?
Be On
Time, Do Things Correctly. Have a Great Meet!